The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-07-02

room, a DiS, ToolIy Al.o"SA' ""N
wonderful pantry, almost large enough
to cook and eat in.
The grounds, too. were ample, and
tastefully laid out, with a pretty
shrubberied lawn in front. a neat
kitchen-garden at the back, with rows
of red Dutch currants, scarlet and
black-cap raspberries. and a trelllsed
arbor ovtrrun with Catawba and
Martha Washington grapes, besides a
huge bed Of Captain Jack strawber-
ries.
Ben furnished the cottage comfort
ably and conveniently, and the young
couple went to housekeeping as happy
as two turtle-doves. Hetty shed a few
tears. to be sure, over her aunt's i'm
pIacable enmity, but nothing more
serious occurred to mar the quiet hap
piness of the married lovers, until,
when over a year had passed away,
and when hNl Ben was nearly two
months old. a sudden blow fell.
The "Saucy Polly of which Ben
had been first mate, had been newly
repaired and pronounced seaworthy,
and was now about to sail on a long
voyage to the coast Of Spain, and Ben
was ordered to report on board forth
with.
Hetty nearly cried her eyes out
over the parting. and her sailor hus-
band had hard work to keep his W
eyes dry. When he was fairly off and
away, however, Miss Comfort so far
rclented as to pay her niece a visit,
.ostensibly to condole with her. but
really for the sake Of getting a glimpse
of the wonderful baby. He was n
plump, rolicking boy, with his mothers
own eyes, and fair, silky, brown hair.
and Miss Comfort took to him.
greatly. She sven trotted him furtive-
ly on her knee, and sometimes, when
Hetty was out of car-shot, she so far
relaxed from her normal gri mness as
TO sing "Baby Bunting and ''On the
Tree-top," for her grand-nephew's
e%dification.
And so three years rolled away;
Sailor Ben coming home at distant in
t~ervals, long enough to hug his wife
and boy, or to enjoy the comforts of a
home for u few days, and then he was
off again. But along in the fourth
year came another sever blow to poor
Hetty. The "Saucy Polly" had sprung
Il leak and gone to the bottom in Bris.
tol bay. Every soul on board had
persisted. The terrible news threw
Hetty into a brain fever, from which
only Aunt Comforts t~ireless nursing
saved her.
Pale and sad she went about in her
widows weeds, when new misfort-
une assailed her. One day a super
%cilious- looking stranger arrived at the
cottage, in Miss Comforts absence,
and announced himself as Caryl Syl-
vester, the cousin, and nearest living
relative, of Ben Paddock. He de-
mandcd proofs of Hetty's marriage, in
def ault Of which he claimed possession
of the cottage. with all it contained;
for Hetty had no proofs to give. She
had forgotten the very town in which
she had been married. and even the
name Of the minister who had per-
formed the ceremony. The marriage
certificate had been mislaid or lost,
and SO poor Hetty was robbed Of her
little home, as we'll IS her good name.
Taking her child by the hand, she
walked TO her aunt's cottage, and
tainted in Miss Comforts arms. She
knew that she had been q wife, as
legally welded as the law could make
her, but she could not prove it.
Miss Comfort believed in her; but
the neighbors did not scruple to ex.
press their doubts. Forgetting how
often they had been entertained Mt the
cozy little cottage during the past few
years, they were ready to point the
finger Of scorn at her, and to declare
that 'they had allus thought Hetty
Witherill wa no better'n she should
be-"
Neighbor Cheeseboro and one or two
other friends boldly espoused Hetty's
cause, and denounced Caryl Sylvester
as a wolf in sleeps clothing. an impos-
ter and a ''vilyun." But the majority
Of the neighbors, who had been envious
of Hetty's former prosperity, now re-
joiced in her downfall and triumphed
over her adversely.
Hetty bore patiently the many Sights
to which she was subjected. For her.
sell, confident in her own innocence,
she felt she could endure any thing.
but to have her darling child
sighted and despised almost broke
her heart.
Miss Comfort. who had come nobly
to her niece's assistance. seemed really
like another person, 50 kind and pa-
tient and tender had she grown; and
as for young Ben, she fairly idolixed